a prince bound
by skybody
Summary: Princess Ayano's wedding is in four days. The Kingdom is preparing every intricate detail, all while the King has ... something up his sleeve in secret. During a wedding practice, her fiance discovers a dead body in the castle. To make matter worse, two guards have disappeared, and his bard is up to something as well. Shintaro's roped into something again, for better or worse.
1. for you, i'd wait forever

"This wedding has been held off for long enough, hasn't it?"

The bride-to-be took her fiancee's hands and smiled, a smile etched into his mind since they first met. "Please be patient, Shintaro. Under normal circumstances it would be easier, but…"

"Mm, I know, it's your duty, Ayano. I have no right to interfere with it, however," Shintaro gestured to the royal guards surrounding the chapel, "I can't get used to all the attention." That was his sister's burden, after all.

Ayano giggled softly - in the past, he would have been annoyed by this, but as time went on, he found he couldn't live without hearing the sound - before looking over to the doors the guards had now opened. "Shintaro, the priest is here. Time to behave."

"Practice what you preach." To that, Shintaro earned a hard pinch to the cheek, and before either of them could say anything, the priest took his place on stage. He was a slender man with an appearance similar to Ayano's father, the King, which made Shintaro a bit uneasy. He always had a strange feeling around the man when he simply heard about him (perhaps the fact his sister studied under him made it worse), and meeting him only helped to increase his agitation. He was extremely protective of his daughter, that was probably why, but most parents were… though Ayano had assured him time and time again that this wasn't her father, he was the priest at her parents' wedding (and her mother mysteriously died, but Shintaro didn't mention it - he had a little tact), so it would be fine. Shintaro really had to keep his negativity in check.

"Are the both of you ready?" The priest prompted, gaining a quick nod from Shintaro and a verbal affirmation from Ayano. "We've been through this quite a few times, but since the wedding is coming up in four days, it will not hurt us to review what to expect. This is a royal wedding, so it is a very public affair. You both will ride through the kingdom in a straight line on a horse-drawn carriage provided by his majesty. When you get to the chapel, Sir Kisaragi will take his place at the altar, then his majesty will walk the princess to the altar. Then we will begin. Princess, I assume you've written your vows?"

"Yes, sir!"

The priest smiled - Ayano had everyone wrapped around her finger without even meaning to - and faced the other, "Have you, Sir Kisaragi?"

"Yes, sir."

"We will wait for the wedding to officially address those. Then we will move on to putting on the wedding bands, you two will kiss, and exit the chapel to the public party in the town square. His majesty's horse-drawn carriage will escort you there as well. Your… sister, the minstrel-"

"Momo."

"Yes, she will speak a few words about you two there, and the princess' siblings will speak as well. By now, you should all be fine. Don't worry about it."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, Shintaro, however…" Ayano smirked, "he's afraid of crowds."

Shintaro simply grunted in exasperation, he didn't want to seem too obnoxious in front of royalty. He wasn't the prince yet, he wasn't really anything, his young sister was even a, get this, well-liked minstrel. Usually they were low class, but for some reason, everyone was strangely attracted to her. It wasn't that she was bad, she was really good, it was simply their monetary status that made them outliers in the "fame" category.

"Remember that this is just a formality, you two can choose to have a more private wedding afterwards if you so wish."

Shintaro, surprisingly, was the first to speak up. "Whatever the princess desires, I'll follow blindly." (The truth of the matter was he was a closet romantic, but too socially inept to act upon it. However, he wasn't one for extravagant affairs, yet Ayano was. He loved Ayano too much to deny her anything.)

"You certainly made quite the turnaround, dear," Ayano replied, a lilt in her voice. "We still have to finalize the setup and decorations with the financial… er,"

"No, we're to tell the secretary, who will then forward it to the treasurers. I believe your father is actually covering the costs."

"Wow, Shintaro! I knew I was getting married to you for some reason!" Watching Shintaro roll his eyes, Ayano gave another blinding smile as they made their walk to the business offices.


	2. a day like yesterday somehow has changed

How long have I been asleep?

She blinked her weary sleep away and rose from her bed. It must be late… but as she looked outside, it was… sunrise? About seven in the morning, then. She wasn't on duty until later, and the preparations for the wedding were mostly complete. So the only thing she had to do until standing at her guard post was…

Waking up the boys.

She groaned, stripping off her clothes. The girls always woke up early, and there weren't many of them, either - women knights were mostly looked down upon - so she was usually left to her own devices. Takane also had to sleep early, as she always had a hard time waking up, so she was isolated among the castle.

Once her clothes and armor were on, she headed out. Waking the boys was always a hassle, to say the least … especially … that one. A lazy, clueless brunette who had no business in the royal guardship, but somehow the king allowed him to stay, even at top rank with none other than herself.

(It was a bit endearing, actually.)

What a bother.

That's why, every morning, around seven or eight, she entered the large men's suite, and pulled Haruka's pillow from under his head. Of course, that's not all - he never woke up to just that. What he did respond to was her knocking him on the head with the pillow dozens of times.

"Wha...morning already…?"

"Yeah, get up! Don't you guys have posts to maintain?"

"Oh, Takane, I almost forgot!"

"What?"

"Good morning! I hope your day goes well!"

Takane's face heated up, and she turned away, crossing her arms in defiance. "Just… just get your armor, what if someone attacked you overnight?!"

Haruka sat up, rubbing his eyes, blanket slipping off as he did so. "It'll be alright, you'll come running for me!"

"How can you be so- wait, are you naked?!"

"Eh," Haruka looked down at himself, "oh, I guess I am."

A roar of laughter echoed throughout the boy's hall, and Takane was practically steaming with anger.

"Put some clothes on! I'll… I'll wait for you outside! Make yourselves presentable, all of you! This castle can't protect itself!"

Takane slammed the door on her way out. She sighed, but that was the only moment to relax she got before someone interrupted.

"Enomoto, you weren't getting too… involved with Kokonose, were you?"

Of course, it was none other than the king. Impeccable timing.

"No, sir."

"We just don't want a repeat of that one time when-"

"Sir, that was a misunderstanding! It definitely wasn't what it looked like!"

He chuckled. "Of course not. Well, I'll see you later," The King started to leave, but stopped mid-step, "Oh, Enomoto! My daughter wanted to talk to you today."

"I'll tend to her immediately, then."

"As expected. Have a good day."

The King was an odd fellow, though he wasn't mean-spirited. He was actually quite kind, a much more merciful King than the kingdom had seen, according to history books. This Kingdom was actually quite old, though it maintained pretty strict customs that had remained the same throughout it's existence. A strict system of knights, a king and queen (though this time, there was no queen, she'd passed away when the princess was young), and the successor to the throne was always blood related, usually immediate family. However, the kingdom didn't have a special circumstance like that. Everything continued in a haze of normal days, at least for as long as Takane had served there.

At least, that's what she thought, and didn't bother to question it. She didn't have the right to. As a female narcoleptic who was gifted such a praiseworthy job, Takane had to be on her best behavior. Even if it wasn't exactly in her genes.

So when Haruka exited, she only pinched his cheek.

"Ow, ow, ow!" When she had enough of his screaming, she released him. "Oh, you're so lively today!"

"Only because it's crunch time for one of the most important events in centuries! Speaking of which, the Princess wants to see me, so I'll go on ahead! Get to your post!"

"Yes, ma'am!" He saluted, and she started to leave, before noticing his face going strangely blank. (A different kind than normal.)

"Haruka? Are you okay?"

"...oh, uh, yes, I just…well, this is going to sound strange."

"I'm used to that from you."

Haruka smiled, some tension leaving his face. "Do you ever feel like…someone is watching you-"

"-an intruder?! Haruka, why didn't you warn me! Let's go kick his-"

"N-no, not like that, shh!" He put a finger to his lips, speaking in a hushed tone, "Like…in your head…someone right behind you…saying things abnormal to your thoughts…"

"That's..." Was a magic user abusing Haruka's mind? Who would it be? And why?

"…it's crazy, right? I thought so. I'm probably overreacting. You need to see the princess, right? I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Takane responded absentmindedly. She just couldn't shake off the uneasiness now.

With two taps on the door, Takane took a step back. Knowing Ayano, the door would bust open in three, two...

Bam!

"Who is- oh! Takane! Did papa tell you to see me? Good, good, I need to talk with you!" Typical Ayano. As the princess' personal servant since she was hired, Takane began to memorize certain habits of hers.

Stepping inside, she watched Ayano walk to the mirror and adjust the wedding dress she was trying on for the tenth time that week. "Shut the door, if you'd please?"

"Oh, of course, your highness." She did as she was told.

"How many times do I have to tell you, no need for silly stuff like 'your highness' and 'overlord'?" Overlord...? Takane never said that... hearing Ayano's audible sigh, she noticed her disposition do a 180. "Anyway... I really need to show you something. It concerns you, and Haruka... and, well, everyone."


	3. don't blink

"Ayano," Shintaro shook his new wife laying before him, "wake up! Everyone is waiting on us, I'm... I'm waiting on you, wake up!"

There was no response.

The young woman, his love, the only person that truly knew him, and accepted him, not despite, but because of his callous nature, every intricate part of him… she not only accepted, but loved, was laying at the altar. She had suddenly fallen after they were officially wed. How ironic. Shintaro had the lips of a killer.

(You ruin everything, Kisaragi!)

Shintaro didn't deserve Ayano. So many people were better than him. His father, who had a successful business but had his life taken in a tragic accident. His mother, who sacrificed her friendships to take a full time job while taking care of him and his sister. His dear, beautiful sister, who earned fame in the looked-down-upon Bard career, who had a captivating voice and personality, scraped on hand and foot to gain the approval of the masses, and money to help their peasantly income increase. But Shintaro, oh, he was worthless. He provided nothing. He was nothing.

He could see the sihlouettes surrounding him, of his family and neighbors, old classmates… all of them chanting the same phrases. You ruin everything! I thought you were a genius! You're really selfish, aren't you, Kisaragi?

Failure.

Failure.

Failure.

"Shintaro!"

He woke screaming, body dripping with sweat.

"Shintaro, that's so gross! What, are you having second thoughts?" Oh. It was his sister. So... That was a dream.

"No, the opposite, actually," Shintaro said, throwing his sheets off. When did it get so hot? "I'd like to get married before she dies."

Momo looked a little shocked at his statement, but quipped, "You're so impatient, big brother, yet you won't even get changed!"

"Alright, get out so I can. You have to come with me, you haven't practiced at all."

"I have...!" She hadn't really, but that was understandable. Her career was time-consuming, especially when trying to get an education.

He sighed, "Don't worry about it, we still have a few days. Now get out before we're late!"

/

Momo took the lead to the castle with an almost too enthusiastic step - despite the huge crowd around them (the famous singer and soon-to-be prince together!), they managed to get to the castle in one piece.

With two knocks on the huge doors, Momo waited. "Hey, bro, aren't there supposed to be guards here?"

"There are... maybe they got caught up with something in town?" Shintaro mused, "I know a few who are just chronically late."

Momo knocked again, unofficially deciding they would wait a few minutes. Those minutes wore an incredibly tense silence. Although it was only two guards missing, the fact that guards were missing in the first place was eerie in itself.

"Momo," Shintaro started, "do you think-"

"-Shh! Listen,"

"What?"

"It's the sound of me not wanting you to worry! C'mon, aren't there like, strange entrances or something? It's a huge castle!"

"Ayano did show me one-"

"-Let's go, then!"

After a treacherous journey through a large air vent, the siblings threw themselves out of the giant hole Ayano and her siblings made when they were kids. It lead to a back room on the side of the castle, where three kids lay on enormous couches. It was an extravagant room, but papers scattered along with paint and crayons all over the walls gave the King good reason to hide this room.

Shintaro gave a curt nod to the teens, and they nodded back, for they knew time was of the essence. There was a wedding rehearsal, and more importantly, there was an unnatural air over the castle.

As they left the room and found the main hallway, Momo's scream stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Momo, what is it?!"

"Big brother, look- look, this has to be a joke-!"

"What-" as he turned to face her, his brain registered at an abnormally slow pace that there was a dead body on the ground. "Momo, there should be a group of guards in the next room. Get them. If anything happens, scream."

"Right...! I- I'll kick their balls off...!" Momo was very pale, but Shintaro knew he could trust her with the small task. With that being said, he kneeled in front of the body. No pulse. But the body looked as if this happened recently. Maybe fifteen minutes to a half hour ago...

The body - a woman, he noted after pushing back the dark hair - was bruised, sign of a struggle, and her hair was a bit wavy. A chunk of hair lay tangled in it, and Shintaro wanted to brush it out, make her look neat, but he knew not to mess with a crime scene.

Was this... a crime scene?

Then he heard the guards come back, a few pulling him away, some others carrying the body off. Some guards gasped, horror on their faces.

Perhaps they knew her, Shintaro inferred, but having experienced loss first-hand, he knew not to ask.

A few minutes passed in respectful silence, Momo gripping Shintaro's hand. He didn't want this to happen.

Doors slamming open broke the silence along with shoes swiftly tapping across the floor. "Who was responsible for this?! Whose negligence allowed this to happen?!" It was the King. His voice reverberated across the walls, dripping with emotion. As he approached the guards, Shintaro noticed some ash dusting his body, and red bags under the King's eyes. What the hell?

"I want all of you on your positions immediately before you face an even worse punishment at noon!"

"Yes, sir!" They replied, breaking off to their separate locations.

It didn't take long for Momo to grab the King by his hands, tears streaming down her face. She was truly a kind-hearted young woman. "My sincerest condolences, your Highness...!"

"I respect your behavior in this stressful time, however, I'm afraid… that's the least of the news." The King started, and glanced at Shintaro. "Come here, Mr. Kisaragi."

He approached with restrained haste, heart thumping in a way he didn't know it could.

"This morning... actually, I've been... there since I awoke, until I was summoned here... it seems, in my dear daughter's room... someone was experimenting with alchemy or magic... and there was a huge explosion, destroying her room, and parts of the hall."

The hall was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

"Your Highness," Momo spoke with quiet elegance for her brother, "is Ayano okay?"

"She... appeared to be there at the incident. Her body couldn't be found. I... wish I was there instead. This damned castle is too large, and none of my damned guards were able to stop it soon enough!" He stomped his foot hard, creating a loud echo. Shintaro stood there, limp.

Momo looked to him, and he ran.

/

The King was right. A huge explosion, fire had spread, ash everywhere…

"Ayano," Shintaro whispered, "Ayano, where are you hiding?"

He searched under the remains of the bed, into the exposed structure, everything that still remained. He didn't believe it. She wasn't dead, she was marrying him in two days, they were going to be happy…

His hand found its way to a burnt up object, though a few bits remained. Red… a red ribbon, it looked like. Shintaro gripped his hand around it, tears falling down his face.

"Ayano, don't leave me... Ayano... Ayano, please, say something..."

As if simple words could make her come back.

Shintaro was a selfish fool.


	4. without you, i am?

Hello! I'm finally able to upload this on a computer, so I'm able to write an author's note as well! Thank you for your support thus far, this is the first time I've been really motivated to keep up a multi-chapter fic! Reviews, favorites & follows seriously make my day. This chapter might not seem like a huge plot mover, but in time it will begin to connect!

"Shintaro, please pick up the pace, I have another performance tonight...! It's... just a birthday party, I know, but... That's what makes it so important! And I know it's not until tonight, but..." Momo groaned, continuing to half-drag her brother, an arm wrapped around his torso. "Big brother, please. It's not that long to the house, just show some sign of life."

Shintaro did so by a harsh exhale through his nose, akin to a horse's neigh (okay, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration), and attempting to walk a bit more. He didn't leave the castle injured, but after his... well, his life, crashed before his eyes in a split second, he didn't feel it was necessary to keep moving.

It wasn't even noon.

Momo wasn't that put out by this - Shintaro weighed less than her, probably. It was her worry for Shintaro that gave her an anxious edge. She hadn't seen him like this since before he and Ayano started dating. He had always been a pessimist, but she hadn't thought it was that bad until their father passed away. Then all of the depression bottled inside him came out.

Until he met Ayano. They started as friends, Shintaro actually a bit annoyed by her curiosity to a simple, jobless, commoner, but as time passed, they grew closer. Momo saw a spark in him, one that she realized she'd never seen before. Similar to the way the sky was always so clear and the sun shone almost too bright in the kingdom, Shintaro had found a reason to let his pain go to rest and start anew.

Now it was all gone.

No wonder he could hardly walk. She had only just realized this... she could hardly imagine the weight on his heart he'd known for his whole life.

"Sorry," Momo said suddenly, "I worry about you, you know? What with no job or- jeez, that doesn't make you feel any better, right? Maybe I should take your mind off it instead..."

Searching the radius of the town she could see, she started talking. "Like how the buildings are so intricate. Ma said back when she was a kid, everything here was made of paper!"

"She was joking." The first words he's spoken were correcting her knowledge. Typical.

"Of course it was!" Momo brushed off her naivety with a laugh, "But I don't think they worked so meticulously on the paintings in the square, I mean, look, that almost looks like a real guy over there, incapacitated!"

"That is a real person."

Blinking, she found that he was right. What the heck was she doing just standing here admiring bricks- there was someone dying on the ground! She dropped Shintaro and ran towards the figure.

Shintaro soon followed, pace quickening to... a walking speed. Typical.

Momo kneeled beside the man. He was so pale, even his hair was white! His clothes were unscathed, other than the dirt stains... which seemed natural, white clothes stained easily. If he hadn't had the black and yellow designs on his pants and neck warmer, she might not have noticed he was there.

"He has a pulse," Shintaro announced in a worrisome monotone, "and he's breathing."

"Good...!" Momo smiled before shaking the man lightly, "Hello, sir, are you okay?"

There was a slight pause before he blinked twice, eyes shining red as he came to awareness. "I... I'm awake."

"That you are! Can you tell me your name, sir?"

"...no."

"But, we just want to help..."

"...I... I don't know it..." And almost as if the conversation never occurred, he added, "...I'm very lonely..."

Momo could have sworn she saw a hint of pain in Shintaro's eyes for a second, and that's when she made her action plan. "Alright, sir! You're coming home with us! We'll take care of you until you can restore your memory... friend!"

"Ah... Thank you... uh..."

"I'm Momo, and that's my big brother, Shintaro!"

"Momo, Shintaro," The man smiled softly, "Thank you for being my friends."

/

The walk back home was in silence, but the moment they began settling in at home, the man began to ramble. The once quiet, desolate home with nothing but empty rooms was now filled with storytelling, like a child who had just come home from an amazing field trip. Their sickly mother had even come out, sitting in the corner of the dark green loveseat as if this man really was her son.

"...and in the dream, I think it happened while I passed out - I don't remember what happened before I passed out - there was a boy and a girl… I think they were ten… or twelve… they were friends, I think… they were talking and laughing, but not for a long time…" He paused, as if remembering something painful. "...ah, they...were killed…"

"Killed?" Momo called out in response, as if it wasn't just a dream. "How?"

Shintaro didn't want to hear about death, he didn't want to hear any of this, this friendship, these bonds that had ruined him from the start. He stood to walk away, before the man grabbed his hand. "...Shintaro," His mind switched gears in a second again, his voice unnaturally serious, "You can leave if you want, but...somehow, I have a feeling that this is important."

"It doesn't matter to me." Shintaro snapped, earning glares from his mother and sister.

"I understand," Despite Shintaro's rude behavior, he still smiled. And something about those words, the way he said them, made Shintaro sit back down again. Once more, almost as if it were programmed, the man continued his telling of the dream, "They were killed, I… it's… I could've sworn I remembered, but now it's all black…"

"Don't worry yourself over it, dear," Their mom cooed, "Your recovery thus far has been incredible."

The man's eyes brightened immediately. "...oh! My name! It's Konoha!"

"Konoha, huh?" Momo tried it out on her tongue, "What a cool name!"

Shintaro spoke up then, his voice still strained from all the emotions of the day, "Just Konoha?"

"You're just Shintaro, right?"

He pondered it for a moment. Without the bright future he had before him, without the woman who changed his life… Ayano… without Ayano… "...Yeah."


	5. dark blue

Shintaro went over everything in his mind. His suit (which Kenjirou had graciously lent to him last-minute) was clean, not a wrinkle in sight as it attempted to compliment his figure. This was far from an easy feat, so Shintaro had to protect the condition of said clothing with his life. His hair was, for once, relatively healthy, with little to no tangles. Momo seemed to have an easy time getting ready as well... at least she wasn't screaming every few minutes about an outfit malfunction. Everything was falling into place, making recent events even more surreal. Maybe he was dreaming, and when he awoke, he would be at Ayano's wedding instead of her funeral.

Letting his mind wander as he stood there, a pained noise was the only warning he received before a man walked into the room without any pants on, tie around his neck as if he'd been strangled.

"Eh-" Shintaro floundered, "Konoha, what are you doing?! Put some pants on!"

Konoha blinked in response, a pensive expression settling into his features. "I... don't know how."

If only Ayano were here, she was the one who fixed these types of problems. Shintaro counted backwards from ten before slowly continuing. "You don't know how to put pants on?"

"I never said that..." Konoha seemed genuinely confused. "I don't understand," he gestured at himself, "all this."

Of course. That made more sense. He couldn't help but release a groan nonetheless. "Right… you've never had to do something like this, have you..." Shintaro approached the other, running his hands over the clothing to smooth out some of the wrinkles that had been created.

His hands floated seamlessly to quickly fix the collar of Konoha's shirt. "Hey, Shintaro," Konoha had an unreadable expression on his face, "This is nice."

Shintaro looked up quickly, hands frozen on top of Konoha's tie, an eyebrow raised in utter disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, that probably sounded really strange," he backtracked, a sheepish smile on his face, "You just remind me of someone who made me really happy."

Using any excuse to get the conversation away from such an awkward situation (for Shintaro, at least), Shintaro queried, "Did you remember something?"

Konoha slowly shook his head, "Ah… no, I haven't… but this feels nostalgic. I figured someone else must have taken care of me as kindly as you do."

Shintaro wanted to laugh - he was the least caring person in the world. "I'm sure your parents treated you well. ...Anyway, now that this is all taken care of, go put some pants on, and _please _don't tell anyone this happened."

"Yes, sir!"

As Konoha left, Shintaro could've sworn he saw something flash before his eyes. There was something a bit nostalgic about all this to him, too, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

/

The reality of the day was finally setting in as Shintaro entered the chapel of the castle. Momo lead the four of them to their seats on the front row (Konoha included - although he remembered nothing of Ayano, Shintaro knew she would welcome him with open arms). He was to go to the altar and speak about his fiancée not too far from now, tell of everything he loved about her that he was to live without for as long as he breathed, she was _gone gone gone gone gone g-_

"Big brother!" Momo harshly whispered, "Quit spacing out, you're supposed to watch for your cue!"

He didn't acknowledge hearing her but Momo knew he had; they had been with each other all their lives so it was easy to recognize slight changes in body language. She left him to his thoughts now, trusting him with a simple task… though with the attitude he'd fallen back into, she wasn't sure if it was right to trust him.

Kenjirou opened the ceremony and everyone, including the hazy-eyed fiancé, dropped to their knees in respect. After a moment of silence, everyone was invited back to their pews as the service began. Shintaro remembered this from his father's funeral (although it could hardly be called one, considering they didn't even have enough money to rent a room to hold a service - they hardly had enough money to get him properly buried), he knew what was going to happen - people would cry, give insincere apologies, completely transparent, disgustingly fake sympathy and drawn-out stories for the sake of a heartfelt day. Shintaro despised funerals, he despised death. Then again, who wouldn't?

Noticing Kenjirou gesturing towards him, Shintaro stood before bowing to the King. After being released from this position, he made his way to the pulpit to begin his speech. He hadn't written one. He knew the gist of a funeral's speech and would have no problem with this (aside from the fact that public speaking was his worst enemy). Clearing his throat, Shintaro put his mind in auto-pilot before beginning. "Good afternoon. I- er, I'm… Ayano's fiancé." _You _were _her fiancé_. "Thank you for allowing me to be here. I certainly don't deserve it. I… I didn't deserve Ayano in the first place. She was like an angel, someone like her deserved so much better. But she chose me. A foolish man like me… I've… been blessed to know her. She did everything simply from the kindness of her heart, she never complained, I don't think there was a single person she disliked. Ayano was beautiful in every sense of the word. Her voice… her flowing hair… her bright eyes…" Looking out into the crowd, he only saw Ayano. Everyone in the crowd _was _her, if he reached out she'd certainly grab his hand and whisk him away, whispering in his ear _none of this is real. _"Ayano… Ayano… Ayano…"

He saw that flash from earlier, like a bright light dashing across the room. Shintaro blinked, taking a breath in to compose himself. He couldn't do it, he could only see _her, _feel _her, _hear _her, _but she wasn't here. _She has to be here. She can't be gone. _"...Ayano…!"

Shintaro wasn't sure how long he'd stood there, but now he someone had an arm around his waist, leading him down the aisle as Kenjirou apologized to the onlookers. Everything seemed muted, he couldn't quite feel his feet on the ground. _Maybe this is a dream. I'm watching myself go through the motions of some fever dream. Ayano will wake me up, I'm sure of it. _

"Shintaro…" He blinked again, now inside one of the castle's many public restrooms, "...hey, Shintaro. Please say something."

"I… I don't want to," Shintaro muttered, realizing that this couldn't be a dream if he constantly opened up his eyes to see a funeral, to see all the fake sympathy, to see _Konoha, _the sign that this had in fact happened and Ayano was never coming back. Konoha surely had nothing to do with this but he couldn't help the resentment rising in the back of his throat.

"All you've said for the past five minutes is Ayano," Konoha informed him with no particular emotion, "I'm glad you've come to."

Shintaro didn't reply. He simply looked to the floor with such a sullen expression that anyone in close proximity would drop into a dark depression as well.

"I didn't know she was your fiancée," Shintaro was about to comment on Konoha's stupidity before he remembered he had amnesia, "You must feel really helpless. Like you're drowning, and no one can - or no one _will _- take your hand."

Since when had Konoha become so articulate? It made Shintaro want to pull his tongue out so he couldn't voice Shintaro's feelings so well. "You- You haven't even known me for two weeks! Quit acting like… quit acting like you understand! Everyone does this! '_Oh, I'm so sorry, Shintaro!' _Well, guess what?! You can beg and plead but she isn't coming back, my _reason to be here _isn't coming back, Konoha! What the hell am I supposed to do?!"

As the echo of Shintaro's cries reverberated across the walls, the two remained silent. Shintaro could feel the regret starting up inside him, a feeling he hated but could never get rid of.

Konoha opened his mouth, but only a sob came out.

"K- Konoha-" Shintaro was speechless. He didn't expect him to cry. "I… I usually don't lose control like this, I-"

"I'm sorry," Konoha said as Shintaro attempted to find something to say, "I'm sorry this happened. I can't say anything to help you. I… I don't know what to do, but I want to help you…"

Shintaro wanted to cry. He sounded like Ayano.

"Quit it. Don't say things like that," Shintaro sniffled despite himself, tearing up. "Don't…" He didn't know what he didn't want Konoha to do, but whatever it was, it needed to stop.

But when Konoha wrapped his arms around the shorter man, and Shintaro reciprocated the action, he figured it out.

"Stop… stop caring about me."


	6. disappearing act

Shintaro rubbed his eyes until everything became hazy, then rubbed some more. His vision was slowly going bad, but it was so minor it didn't impair him unless he strained his eyes too much - for example, reading too long.

Which was exactly what he was doing now.

Konoha, in a thirst for knowledge, kept asking so many questions Shintaro simply took him to the library. He knew Konoha couldn't help it, if Shintaro forgot everything about... well, everything, he'd be frazzled too. Would he? This wasn't the time to think about it.

"Shintaro, this second paragraphs talks about a runaway Mage. Who is Mage?"

"What did I tell you about whispering?" Shintaro scolded the best he could in a low tone. People were staring, it was making him feel sick. "'Mage' is not a person. It's a classification. A Mage is someone who harnesses magical powers, like summoning fire from nothing or telekinesis. We don't have a good history about mages, that book explains it better, so please keep your voice down." In hindsight, he should've gone to the royal library, as he had connections who would understand the situation and a better wealth of information. However, Shintaro felt it would be disrespectful, especially since he wasn't part of the family (and wasn't going to be anymore).

Shintaro was honestly surprised Konoha hadn't been at least arrested yet. With that appearance, he looked like a Mage or even a witch. Did people assume he was okay since Shintaro was with him? They shouldn't, especially since Shintaro was... well, nothing.

Konoha seemed to catch on to instructions, because this time, instead of calling out a question, he pointed to it in the book. _The mage's mother was a witch who was very possessive of her daughter._

"A Mage who is really evil," Shintaro explained in a voice he wasn't sure Konoha could hear, "Executed on the spot."

Konoha nodded and kept reading. Shintaro relaxed, beginning to nod off. Maybe he could get some real sleep in...

"-Shintaro."

Of course not.

"Shh."

"S- sorry." Konoha whispered, then pointed to another section in the book. It was scribbled all over, a whole section was torn out, and the odd thing was, it just continued afterwards as if it hadn't happened. There was no note of this in the book cover.

"It was omitted..." Shintaro mumbled. He'd have to go to the royal library soon. Shintaro knew some about the history of the nation, but not enough to explain what a book could. Maybe he'd ask someone there why the public library was omitting historical texts.

Shintaro could figure out why, but he didn't want to admit it.

/

The boy swallowed. He didn't want to accept what was happening, but his father had been preparing him for this since he could retain memories.

So he knocked on the door.

No less than ten seconds later, an older woman answered the door. "Come on in, Hibiya! Is your father with you?" She leaned heavily on the door for support, and the wrinkles around her eyes did not help in proving any sort of youthfulness. Hiyori's nanny. She took care of Hiyori while her parents were busy being dead. Her sister took herself completely out of the equation for some reason, and it pissed the fourteen-year-old off. "Dad is taking care of something. Where is Hiyori?" His father said it was imperative to keep Hiyori close now more than ever. He didn't get it, but he wasn't complaining.

"She's in her room, let me get her." Nanny gave him a look that said 'you're not going in her bedroom if your life depended on it,' and hobbled to the back of the house. As she did that, Hibiya closed the door behind him and made himself comfortable on the chair in the first room. They didn't have much furniture, just bare necessities, which was natural for peasants without jobs. They relied on Hibiya's dad's farm for food. His dad owned the Amamiya family farm, which provided a percentage of food and livestock to the royal family for a few generations now. Since they only gave a certain percentage each month, there was always some left over for Hiyori and Nanny. That's how they survived. And now, after what happened this morning, he was certain it was coming to an end. His dad didn't even tell him why.

"No food? Gee, Hibiya, you're really slacking." Normally Hibiya would react, but he couldn't bring himself to - she didn't know what was happening.

"Hiyori, dad said I need to protect you."

"Protect me...?" Then it all sank in. Her parents must have prepared her for this, too, before they died. "Hibiya, did your father tell you why?"

"Because the farm is being repossessed."

A strange look washed over Hiyori, almost as if she was relieved. "...well, why don't we play a game until your dad comes back?"

/

Shintaro awoke to Konoha poking his arm gently. "Shintaro... I think we overstayed our welcome..."

He blinked himself awake to find two librarians staring at them from afar. What was with everyone today? Did he miss a memo about history books?

Shintaro stifled a yawn, stood up, and grabbed the books. "Let's put these back." For some reason, he didn't want to go alone. Something felt odd. If someone attacked, Konoha would be his human shield.

Konoha followed like a dog would it's master as Shintaro put the books in their proper places. When he turned back, however, a flash of blue completely clouded his vision. "...what the hell-"

"-Shintaro?" It was a strangled, kind of familiar voice...

It seemed to call him home.

Was he going to see Ayano?

"Hey... Shin-"

He couldn't recall anything after that.


	7. for those in need

"Shintaro..." The voice was distant, but he knew exactly who it was.

"Ayano." He smiled, a smile full of compassion and love. He was finally home.

"Don't give in so quickly, Shintaro!" Ayano had that pose she'd always do when she was passionate about something, pointing to him, legs spread wide like her finger could shoot webs or something. He had no idea why that came to mind. "I'll wait for you as long as it takes!"

"Please don't say things like that, as if you've passed away." Shintaro's voice cracked, almost as if-

"You know the truth, Shintaro," She was fading away, dissolving to ashes, and didn't even react to it. "Fight for me, Shintaro. I need you."

/

Shintaro awoke screaming her name. Then that changed to simply wordless yelling because why was there someone he didn't know in his home and how was she floating and her skin translucently blue-

"Can you make any more of a racket!? You'll wake up the entire neighborhood!"

She was right, but, more importantly- "Who the hell are you, get out of my house!"

"I'm a ghost!"

"Wh-what!?" Shintaro scrambled to the back of his bed, groping the wall as if it'd allow him to run away. "Haunt Konoha instead! Or- am I dead? I'm...pretty sure I died back there..."

"Aren't you a letdown, I heard the wannabe prince was a smart guy!" The ghost, who wore (he didn't get it either) steel blue armor that covered her torso and shoulders, and seemingly only had a third of her legs, dashed to him so their faces were centimeters apart. Shintaro tried to push her away, to no avail. "You can't even touch me! See, you're not dead yet! You only passed out back there, boy, I was shocked you even woke up! Looks like you have more mage's blood in you than I thought!"

On reflex, he shushed her while trying to process all this. He didn't have any mages in the family. There weren't many mages anymore, if there were, they could hide well. "Do you mind explaining what is happening right now?"

"For a price!"

Shintaro groaned. He received this response a lot when with royals from other nations - a drawback of becoming a prince (he never became one, as if he wanted to). "What's that?"

"You have to get that guy," The ghost glanced over to the sleeping Konoha before looking at Shintaro again, "and help me out with a liiiiittle task!"

/

Momo had finally reached her destination, a home on the richer side of town, a high class neighborhood, save for the royal family, of course. She had to sing for a young boy's birthday party, she was honestly surprised she was asked, but with such a high price she couldn't say no. The minstrel felt out of place, but as one of the only musicians who people felt was higher-class and genuine, she definitely was accepted.

Walking up to the entrance of the house, she was surprised when a little boy tugged on the hem of her dress. "Momo, Momo, you really did come!"

Momo couldn't hold back a grin from spreading across her face. Fans like these made the strange looks, the rumors...everything bad associated with her class vanished. She bent down to get on eye level with the child and pat his head. "I sure did! You're the birthday boy, yeah?"

He nodded vigorously. "Mhmm! My name is Shiro, and I'm turning seven!"

"I'm Momo, and I'm sixteen! It's nice to meet you!" She bowed slightly to Shiro before standing up. "We should go to the party, can you lead me to where it is?"

The boy's eyes were sparkling as he went to the backyard, unlike anything Momo had ever seen - it was like a water park but in your own home! How much money do these people have?! Momo wanted to ask, but knew it would get her kicked out immediately. So, instead, she watched Shiro go play with his friends, then went to go find Shiro's parents.

Instead, she slammed right into a girl about her age... "Ah, my bad! I should pay more attention..." wait, was that the King's daughter? Shintaro had told Momo about Ayano's siblings back when he was in the puppy love stage (he was for their entire relationship), so Momo mostly tuned it out. A girl with dark brown hair, is really quiet she's almost invisible... "...Tsubomi!" They hadn't spoken much, spare a few instances of small talk, but that was as far as it went. Nonetheless, Tsubomi seemed shocked at the declaration of her name.

"Eh, it...don't worry about it," She waved a hand dismissively, before a boy behind her popped up.

"Yup, we actually came to see you!"

A mischievous looking boy with blond hair and shady clothing... that was... "Hello, Shuuya!"

"N-no, we didn't-" Tsubomi attempted to cough out, seeming really confused at Shuuya's words, before another boy noticed and ran up to them.

"Hello, Momo! I'm super glad this party is open to all guests," Upper-class guests, Momo wanted to add, "Good luck today! We're excited to see you perform live!"

A boy with really dark hair and eyes, his attire always bright green with a hint of navy or black, kind of like a frog, Shintaro had said. And by process of elimination, she'd realized his name already. "Thanks, Kousuke! I've been busy so I haven't had time to come over...or pay proper respects...so I hope I can put a smile on your faces in the meantime."

They went quiet, faces unreadable, but somehow it didn't look like too bad of a response. Shuuya spoke up first. "You better blow us away, then, we hear your voice can do amazing things!" He winked, nudging Tsubomi, whose body language showed her quickly rising fury ever since Shuuya had opened his mouth. "C'mon, guys, we have things to do other than harass the entertainment, right?"

Tsubomi glanced at Momo, almost as if she was sizing her up. Before anyone could comment, though, Kousuke put a hand to Momo's shoulder and smiled brightly. "Hey, I think those kids over there are jealous of us hogging all the attention. We'll see you at the performance, Miss Kisaragi!"

Momo glanced back to the children, who were in fact staring at her in awe, but when she looked to wave a proper goodbye to the Tateyama siblings, they were gone, as if they were never there in the first place.

/

Shintaro was never one for physical activity, and they had been on this path long enough that he wished Konoha would carry him. It was hot, it was humid, and he had no idea what this favor consisted of or whether he'd actually benefit. However, he felt a strange pre-established trust between them, and Shintaro needed answers from the girl anyway.

"At least tell me your name."

"Nope!"

Shintaro groaned. "Then how do you know me? How do you know I'm going to help you?"

"I lived here before I died, obviously! Who doesn't know about...eh, let's not talk about sad stuff..." The blue ghost had a distant look in her eye as she spoke. "...anyway, I just know, alright? Something is happening now that the Princess would never approve of."

Shintaro stopped, and a now concerned Konoha followed suit. "What's happening? Ayano didn't tell me-"

"-these matters are hush-hush, and since you never married her, no one told you."

Seeing the horribly distraught expression Shintaro wore, Konoha shouted out of the blue, "How do you know? Are you lying? Shintaro's already hurt enough...!"

Shintaro was taken aback by his friend's(?) sudden fervor, and for him of all people... "It's alright. I'll go with you."

"I knew you would!" The girl smiled, pumping her fist in the air. "That's great, because we're almost to our destina-"

She stopped, staring at a flash of light in the horizon. "-th- that's closeby! It...it couldn't be...! Ahh, we gotta go now!" She zipped forward in a quick pace that Shintaro couldn't possibly keep up with. Konoha saw his overwhelmed face, and without any notice at all, picked up the would-be prince and ran after her.

The scene Shintaro saw was yet another he wanted to erase from his mind.

A young boy gripping onto a girl no older than 15, crying as she bled from an arrow to her chest. She appeared to have burn marks on her arms. The ghost was cursing, and Konoha seemed to have realized something, but he didn't mention anything.

Shintaro got right into action, shooing away the boy to check the girl's pulse. "Kid, do you know her name?"

He coughed away a sob before replying, "H- Hiyori. Uh... Asahina..."

The ghost girl cursed once more. "I knew it."

Shintaro blocked her out, however, as he couldn't find a pulse. And with the huge intrusion it made... "I... I think she was gone before we got here. I'm... ah, wh-..." He cut himself off, the figure of what Ayano must have looked like before she died in his mind.

Konoha was kneeled next to the boy. "Do you know what happened?"

"M- my dad got evicted, and Hiyori said something about p- protecting me and... and then all these guards came and said they found us out... I- I didn't do anything wrong! And... and she... her hands... fire came from her hands...! She hit an officer, and that's when she was-..."

"-wait, what?" Shintaro stopped the conversation there. He was sure he misheard something. "She... did what?"

"...it was like...a fireball, I guess...from her hand."

"A mage," he muttered, coming to a conclusion that baffled him more. "Hey, is this why you brought me here?"

The ghost nodded.

"You knew she was a mage?"

She nodded again, confirming his fear.

He didn't understand what was happening, but Shintaro knew one thing for certain. "Kid, we need you out of here right now. They'll come for you next."


	8. actions and distractions

"Hey, everyone! Are you all enjoying the party?"

As always, Momo received a loud response from the crowd. They all swarmed around her, as she didn't have a stage, so there was next to no room to sing, but she worked with what she had.

"Can you all step back just a little? I can't move my arms!" Momo laughs, a sweet sound resonating from her mouth, and they all complied without hesitation. "Thanks so much! By the way, happy birthday, Shiro!" The boy was, of course, right next to her, but Momo loved the roar of the crowd supporting not just her but the others around them. The temporary happiness she created with those of many different values was something she cherished. She didn't know how she could do it so well, but she wasn't complaining. "I'm gonna get right to my first song, then!" Momo began without the need of any instruments, which baffled everyone she knew, including herself. Whenever she sang, people stopped what they were doing to listen. Her songs always caused great impacts on people. Momo briefly remembered a time where she sang a sad song to her brother and it caused him to sustain an injury, somehow. Glancing around the crowd, she saw someone waving with a warm smile. It was Kousuke. Next to him, Tsubomi nodded to Shuuya and the former as if affirming something to each other. But that wasn't her concern right now. Her concern was bringing as many smiles as possible with her voice.

/

Konoha sprang into action without Shintaro saying anything more. He picked up the boy and awaited the would-be prince's directions.

"Take him south. Don't leave the Kingdom. We can't have you getting lost," Shintaro was thinking fast, too fast, adrenaline rushing as if the guards were really there, "Back there, just before the woods, is a house. My old home. It's probably beat up by now, but not many people go back there, so it's safe. Don't worry, I'll come after you and we can make a plan as soon as possible."

Konoha nodded. "I'll see you later." He smiled before running off. Shintaro had to commend him for his blind authority - he didn't have to tell the man why they were in danger, he didn't consider the chance that this might be a trap, he just went. What a good friend.

As soon as they went a fair distance away, he turned to the ghost. "Now, you. What's your name? What the hell was all this? How did you know all this?"

"Hey, hey, slow down, one at a time!" The girl said, floating on ahead in the opposite direction of Konoha. Shintaro followed. "You can call me Ene. As for 'all this'... Well, let's say it was a vision before I died."

"A vision?"

"Something like that," Ene brushed him off with a wave of her transparent hand. "I used to be involved with the monarchy before I died. There's a plan right under our noses right now. The princess dying was the start."

Shintaro froze. "It... wasn't..."

"Now you're getting it," Ene's voice was tired - did ghosts need sleep? "The Tateyama family has some secrets that I don't know about, but it's something they should all be executed for, apparently. Anyway, someone in the big ranks killed her. And two guards. That's for the plan."

"What's the plan?"

"Look, coulda-been, I wasn't a part of that! I don't know that much! I just know it involves a takeover by someone and a lot of death!"

Shintaro began to mumble to himself, attempting to piece everything together. "The guards cracking down on mages... that's not just for security."

"Right-o! Now we're talking. I don't know what they need mages for, but I know you were smart in taking the kid away. We're lucky if he isn't dead by tomorrow."

Shintaro's look became more distant as they headed towards his home. "The only other people who know of that house are my mom, my sister, and Ayano, so it's fine."

"So as long as your yes man isn't a blabber mouth we have our rebellion in the bag!"

"His name is Konoha."

/

An hour and a half passed along with Momo's repertoire. She sighed, sitting on the elegant porch swing in the backyard before taking a sip of water. Those three kept their eyes straight on her, which wasn't unusual for her shows, but something about them just wasn't right. The party was over now, and the crowds had dispersed. She hadn't seen any sign of the Tateyama siblings-

"Yo!" Momo jumped as the youngest was suddenly right in front of her. She made a mental note to always keep one eye open. "Nice show, you didn't disappoint!" Shuuya made himself comfortable in the seat next to her.

"Thanks so much," Momo flashed a smile, trying to be polite.

"I think we're freaking her out..." Kousuke rang out as a voice of reason.

"Then let's just be upfront already." Tsubomi was suddenly mere centimeters from her face. Her face was serious, but Momo saw a hint of deep-seated hurt in her eyes that her brother often wore. Tsubomi's skin appeared rough, her body toned, yet with a frailness that only a trained eye could pick up on. She didn't seem like a King's daughter at all. "Unlike those two, I'm not shady-"

"-well, you're practically invisible-" Shuuya stopped with a slight screech as Tsubomi glared a hole through his head.

"-We just need you for a favor. Sorry for the trouble, but you'll have to come with us." Standing properly, she extended a hand to the minstrel. Somehow, Momo got a sense that the three weren't so bad after all. Soft hand grasped calloused hand, and they headed off.

/

Shintaro looked up from his notebook. Ever since they got back, Shintaro had been making notes and plans for a rebellion. If things were going the way Ene predicted, it wasn't going to be good. "Ene, you said something relating to me and magic when we met. I don't have any mages in my family."

"Well, you must, because only people with magic in them can see ghosts! That's why Hibiya made no reaction to me. Or he noticed and didn't care."

"Then Konoha..."

"Your yes man was created, Sir Coulda-Been," Ene seemed to grow agitated at the very mention of the 'Yes Man', "It's obvious. It could've been engineers, or mages, or both."

"Do you know who-"

"-No, I know nothing! Konoha's an enigma to me!" Somehow, it sounded like she was lying, but Shintaro didn't press it. A few moments passed where only the sound of pen on paper was heard, before Shintaro's mom came in.

"Shintaro, dear, I forgot to tell you, the King has his formal address to the Kingdom tomorrow, and you might have to speak in regards to the Princess. I know it's hard," She did know, Shintaro remembered, after all, she's a widow. "...but, it's an obligation. So please try to go."

Shintaro didn't want to. With all this other stuff on his mind, he had distractions (not to mention the fact that he was saving a community of people he loved), but when the situation was brought to him face-to-face, and without Konoha, his new rock, he couldn't do it. "I - I'll try."

She smiled softly and went back to her room. Before she was even gone, Ene declared, "Guess the magic's on your dad's side then!"

Suddenly everything made sense.


End file.
